Together
by slytherin24
Summary: How did The Silver Trio cope with the defeat of Delphin? Were they happy, or did certain events still haunt them? How does this affect them when they finally arrive back at Hogwarts during the night from Godric's Hallow.


**Scorpius's POV**

As soon as I felt a hand on my shoulder, I bolted up. "Relax! It's just me." I looked up to see Emaline staring back. "I can't sleep, Scorp. Every time I close my eyes all I hear is her voice. Even when I stay awake, something gets to me. The lapping of the water, the crackling of the fire, even the cold air that blows through the cracks of a door. They all turn into her sound. Its as if she's with me." I sighed and sat up.

"Its ok Emaline. How did you get up here?"

"The stairs don't prevent girls from getting up here, apparently." she stood. "There needs to be some light in here dont you agree?"

"You are supposed to cast a Lumos or something of the sort, but since we've got no wands..."

"You're right. Is this where Craig used to sleep? Right beside you." A pang of guilt traveled through me when I heard his name. Craig. He had a bright future. "Yes, Em. He sleeps...slept there."

"And what about Al? He sleeps in the one to the right. Am I correct?" I nodded my head. She blindly walked across the room and went to go wake up Albus. "no," I heard her whisper.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Where's Al? Wheres Albus?" she frantically asked. Instantly, all my drowsiness disappeared.

"What do you mean? He was here when I went to bed!" She stood up and headed to the door.

"He better have not tried anything," she ranted as we headed to the common room. "He dare not. After today, after everything. If he's dead..."

"Dont talk like that!" I quickly said. "We can't say that after everything. We can't lose any hope that something bad has happened." We reached the end of the stairs. Albus was sitting on the couch directly in front of the fire.

"Albus Potter!" Em whispered. "You scared the living daylights out of me. I went to check on you and you weren't there and I thought that somehow Delphini had gotten you and was torturing you into the point of no return. Why aren't you in bed like we are supposed to be in?" He smiled softly and turned to stare at her.

"You can't tell me they haven't been plaguing you too."

"Who is they?" I asked, suddenly interested in what they had to say.

"The visions. The spirits. Everything and everyone." We went over and sat on the couch with him.

"Of course they have been. It took me a long time to be able to close my eyes. Every motion, every action, hurts. It's like they are casting a Crucio at me all over again. But I can't let it bother me." I said.

"But maybe that's the only way to move on. To let them bother me. To let them haunt me so I can suffer for my mistakes. I can see Craig, you know. I can feel his spirit with me. Every hall I hear his laugh."

"Albus..." Emaline started.

"And Scorpius, I can't unhear your screams. Begging her to stop. Enduring the pain of a Crucio. You had started screaming during the night. It made me remember."

"I was screaming?" I asked. "I didn't know that."

"You were,' he confirmed. "It was full of emotion. It made me wake up and think. It made me realize many things."

"Like what?" Emaline asked.

"It's hard to explain." He looked at Emaline. "Your eyes are beautiful. They hold a depth and understanding no level of emotion could ever reach." Emailine blushed.

"Thank you. Are you sure you're ok?'

"You can see the difference," he continued, ignoring her question. "When she had you under the...the Imperious, they went blank. It's like you were a completely different person. They say you can't tell when someone is under one, but I could. I could see a difference in the eyes. I saw the hint of confusion and the bucket load of determination. I could see it all, but I couldn't do anything."

"Oh Al. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this happened.."

"You couldn't have done anything about it, Em," I told her. It was no good feeling guilty about everything when we could never have seen this coming. "It's all her fault. She led us on. She betrayed us."

"But we trusted her. We told her everything. We gave her information." Al countered. "If we had just been smart enough, maybe I wouldn't have had this cut on my head resembling my dad's scar, maybe Em wouldn't have a huge gash going down her arm that will always be there, maybe you would never have known how it feels to have a Cruciatious Curse cast upon you and see muggles tortured." He slowed down his speech and looked at us. "And maybe, just maybe, Craig wouldn't have died right in front of us. Maybe if we had been a little quicker, a little better, she would have spared him." It fell quiet. None of us dared to speak. We were all lost in thought.

"I can see them," Emaline finally said. "When we apparated back. When we rode the carriages, I saw the Thestrals." Albus looked at her.

"You could? I couldn't. But I'm glad I couldn't. It's too much of a reminder. Of death, of life, of everything."

"It was a shock for me," Em said. "To see something pulling us. When for so long I had believed it pulled itself." I smiled.

"Everyone knew about the Thestrals," I told her.

"Well, not me. I didn't really comprehend that something that could only be seen after you've experienced death could be pulling us to the safest place in the London Wizarding World."

"I've been seeing them since last year. Well, around the end of the past school year." The two gaped at me, shocked.

"You never told me that!" Em exclaimed.

"I mean, how do I say it? Hey guys, I can see Thestrals because I saw my mom on her deathbed. It's pretty hard to form the words." They both smiled. Silence filled the room again. This time, Albus broke our train of thoughts.

"It isn't the safest place in the Wizarding World. I dont believe that. Never have."

"What do you mean Albus?" I asked.

"Hogwarts," He explained. "I dont believe its safe."

"Why not?" Emaline questioned.

"Hogwarts is full of kids. They live their life here. Of coarse within it are bullies, friends, enemies. Hogwarts breeds all the villains. Hogwarts breeds all the heroes."

"Your point is..."

"Let's take Tom Riddle for an example. He was a regular kid when he came to Hogwarts. He met people. He was bullied. Because of that, he went on to desire power. He was fed lies by Dumbledore. He was told his family was loving and kind. But they weren't, so he went on to hate muggles. All the evil he did was because of his time at Hogwarts."

"Are you saying that..."

"Yes. How can Hogwarts be the safest place when its the reason many people go good or bad. How can Hogwarts be safe when there are kids plotting revenge and ridiculing you. How can it be safe from harm when the cause of harm was born because of it. It can't. It goes against all logic." I thought about it for a second. Albus did have a point. Most people did turn evil because of their childhood experiences. But...I couldn't think of a way to counter his thought. What he said was right. Hogwarts couldn't be safe when the bad was born in it. Could it?

"Delphini never went to school," Em pointed out. "But she turned out to be evil. She turned out to be a mess."

"She wasn't evil," Albus said. "She was desperate. She wanted a family. Her situation was just like mine. She did what she thought was right to be able to meet her dad. Her evil, no-good dad."

"Just like how you went on this crazy mission to prove that your worth something to your dad," I noted. Albus nodded.

"But unlike her, we didn't do evil to achieve our means. We did everything the loser way." I smiled.

"You saved the Wizarding World, you know," Em said. "Both of you. If you hadn't gotten the message to your dad, we could have all been dead."

"We all saved the Wizarding World," I told her. "You included."

"I didn't do anything. really."

"What do you mean?" Albus asked. "You practically saved us. If you hadn't fought off the Imperious, I would probably be dead and you'd still be under her power. Dont ever think you weren't needed because you were. You saved us, Em. You saved me."

"Have you thought about it? Have you noticed that we could all be dead now? That we survived by pure luck. Nothing else. We didn't even use magic. She could have killed us at the train station easily, and she could have killed you when you fainted. But she didn't." I stated. They seemed to be deciding it over.

"Oh my gosh. We could be. My mom could have been mourning me right now. I could be in a coffin, while people shower my body with flowers." Em gasped. She started tearing up. "I could be dead."

"But you're not. You're a strong person, and you are alive." Albus whispered in her ear. This seemed to calm her down, but tears were still streaming down her face. She closed her eyes.

"I can hear them too." She simply said. "Everything is a reminder of her voice. Commanding me to do things I would have never dreamt of doing. I hear your screams, protests. Sometimes if I close my eyes for too long, I see you dead. I see her kill you Al, and Scorpius is standing there, mind in hell. Unable to help. Then I realize it's not her whose holding the wand. It's me. I killed you." Her eyes open, bloodshot. She puts her head on Al's chest and grips his shirt. "I can't lose you. I can't. I can't lose either of you. I don't know what I'd do." She gripped onto his shirt tighter. Like the world began and ended with him. Like if she let go or loosened her grip, he would disappear. We sat in silence, enjoying the time we had together. No one talked. We just breathed. Thankful that we lived another day. That we were in a common room with the people we love.

No one noticed when Headmistress McGonagall came in to check that we were in bed. No one noticed how she stopped at the sight in front of her. Three children fast asleep on a couch. One on the end, another clinging on to him and his shirt that was wet with her tears, and the last with a book in his hands, leaning on the girl's side. No one noticed as an image from the past popped up in her mind. First the Golden Trio, then the Marauders. She smiled and relit the fire that had gone out. She saw a friendship purer than any rose. STronge than any brick. These children had bonded over their hardships. She swore that she would never let anything happen to them. She had survived the first two waves. But this generation was different. They weren't Gryffindors, for a start. They definitely were not trying to survive a war. They prevented it before it started. They were just children. 14 years of age. She promised herself she would do whatever she could to make sure they didn't go through any more hardships then necessary. No one noticed her secret smile as she headed out of the dormitory back to her office. Well, no one, except for maybe me. But, what can I say? I am a very observant person.


End file.
